Chapter 57: No Yelling in the Inn
Enya propped herself up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “The tournament?”
“Sure, that. But if you’re planning to enter and somehow place high enough—probably should’ve asked those kids how that all works—but if you do manage to get in, are you going to take that one-month class thing they mentioned?” Pell asked.
“Hmm… maybe? Schools and friends were always mentioned in your books. So it should be really fun, right?” Enya's enthusiasm was infectious.
“Dunno. Never went,” Pell replied flatly.
Enya tilted her head, surprise etched on her features. “You never went to school?”
“I was poor, kid. Everything I learned was by myself. Nobody out there to help, ‘sides Melly,” he said, his tone growing more serious. “She helped with some common sense, reading, and writing. But the rest? I learned it on the streets—hard lessons, personally.”
He walked over to the window, peering out at the bustling peddlers hawking their wares in the market below. “Enough about me, though.”
Enya leaned back, resting her head on the soft pillow. “So, you’re staying in Talo for a month when I go to school?” she asked, staring up at the wooden ceiling.
“If you go to school. But yes, I’ll be waiting here for a while. I need time to sell the items we got too. And I’ll have to meet with a secretary to settle my expenses and everything. Paperwork and all that crap is going to be a headache for me, especially with the dead adventurer’s team,” Pell said.
“I’ll have the time to stay, and you can go have a month at school if you place. But don’t cry to me if you don’t get in, alright? It’s kids who have probably trained specifically for the tournament, so they’ll be at least somewhat skilled in combat. If you get knocked out in the first round, then that’ll be a valuable lesson for you—not to dive headfirst into everything,” he cautioned.
“I’ll win!” Enya declared, sitting up straight with determination. “I’ll get first place!”
Pell could only lower his skull, his thoughts drifting. I’ll need to find a book on how to deal with crying children, he mused.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]
An hour slipped by as the two began to settle their individual affairs.
“Pell! Pell!” Enya shouted, dashing toward him.
Inside their booked room, Pell was rummaging through the backpack Enya had brought along. It was a complete disaster.
Sticky potion liquid coated everything, a messy reminder of her past escapades. She had mostly managed to remove the shards of glass, but the stickiness clinging to the books, the failed Hellfire pills, and her notes was bothersome. Among the chaos, he recognized the two necromancy books, but there was also another notebook and some loose notes. The covers of the notebooks were blemished and wet, with some pages barely holding together, while others—most—were utterly ruined. He could see notes detailing necromantic topics he didn’t recognize. These must have come from the underground workshop that Enya had mentioned.
As he sifted through the mess, he found the crude map he had drawn, outlining the upper floors of the dungeon, nearly torn to shreds. Even a punctured can of preserved rabbit meat remained—completely inedible. Why the hell hadn’t she thrown this away?
The sound of Enya calling his name pulled him away from his disorganized pile of belongings.
“Pell! Look!” she exclaimed, appearing in front of him. Her dress was freshly washed, the gray dustiness completely gone. With a joyful twirl, she threaded her fingers through her hair, the sun catching the shine.
“My hair is so shiny and smooth!” she beamed.
Sheryl had offered Enya a bath after noticing the blood still staining the top portion of her forehead. It wasn’t completely visible from a distance, hidden beneath her hair, but up close, it was quite noticeable. Pell had to come up with a quick excuse for why a little girl was wandering around with a skeleton and covered in blood.
In the end, he settled on a story that the girl was a prodigy, and he was an old servant raised by necromancy to assist her. Sheryl didn’t seem convinced, but she let it slide, especially since the little girl appeared so happy to be with him.
“Do I look pretty?” Enya asked, halting her twirl but still holding out her hand, which sparkled in the light above.
“Yes, yes. You look very pretty,” Pell replied. He figured making a clever remark probably wouldn’t do him any favors.
Enya’s face brightened into a goofy smile, and she hopped around the room, thrilled by her newfound cleanliness and beauty.
Pell turned back to the mess of the backpack, trying to sort things out.
“Whatcha doing?” Enya asked, bouncing up beside him.
“I’m emptying the backpack of the useless stuff. I need to head to the adventurer’s guild to give a preliminary report, then off to the merchant’s guild to see if I can get the loot from the dungeon appraised,” he explained. “Everything’s sticky, but I guess they’ll have to deal with it.”
“What about the tournament?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Pell finished pulling out the last of the books and set them aside next to the large dungeon core resting on the table. “I’ll take you to wherever the registration is with those kids. After that, I’ll be on my way, so you can play with them for the rest of the day or something.”
“Really? I can?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide at the prospect of exploring the city. Everything she had seen was mesmerizing—the tall buildings, the bustling people selling wares, and the pretty, shiny objects in the store windows. The crepe Berry had mentioned sounded like a delicious treat she was eager to try.
“Yes, for the most part. We’re already inside the city. Just don’t take anything valuable with you, and don’t talk to strangers. If anyone asks, you can say you’re a noble, but don’t mention that you’re a high-noble. It’ll cause too many issues. Apparently, your identity is recorded in the system—that’s why those guards let us in so easily. Just ask them not to reveal your identity. Most officials are good at keeping themselves out of trouble, especially if your family could make them disappear in a snap,” Pell advised.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder and readjusted the black cloak draping over him. Along his left sleeve was a small metal device—a lock that prevented excessive use of magic and skills. Any dangerous abilities would be recorded inside it. If a mage decided to shoot a fireball at someone, the city’s War Paragons would be on that unfortunate soul within minutes.
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“I have a good eye for people. Those kids seemed trustworthy, and they’ve got a good word from Sheryl, whom I’ve met a few times during my stay here. But if you sense anything wrong, just scream that you’re being abducted.”
She tilted her head, puzzled. “Abducted?”
“Yeah. Just scream as loud as you can. Maybe scream ‘help’ or something. Someone will probably come running. Just don’t go anywhere alone, got it?” Pell reaffirmed.
“So… scream like this?” Enya said, taking a deep breath.
Pell’s skull whipped around to meet her gaze with lightning speed. “Don’t you dare—”
“HEEEELLPPP!!” Enya’s voice echoed out with thunderous volume, resonating throughout the top floor of the inn and spilling out into the open doorway of their room.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]
While Pell was downstairs, being berated by Sheryl, the innkeeper, for Enya’s little prank, Enya waited in the bedroom. It wasn’t the content of her scream that had caused the commotion, but rather the volume, which had annoyed the other guests and prompted Sheryl to reprimand Pell. Apparently, anything bad Enya did was Pell’s fault for lack of guidance and supervision. Perhaps… this skill of deflection would prove useful in the future.
The tournament was going to be exciting! Tournament arcs were always the most thrilling parts in the books. The main character finally got to show the world what they were capable of! Excitement bubbled up within Enya. Surely, she would impress everyone and win!
If—no, when—she claimed first place, she would be admitted to the academy, where she could finally become a student. There, she would meet a host of people and grow an army of friends. Skeletons were cool and all, but they couldn’t talk.
This, however, meant she wouldn’t be able to contact her family for another month. But… she was okay with that. Somehow, though, her heart ached at the thought.
She had been abandoned in the dungeon. Meeting Pell had been nice, but why was she there in the first place? Why hadn’t anyone come for her? Why, why, why?
She felt scared. Knowing the answers might make the pain in her heart hurt even more. If they hadn’t found her for nearly three months… were they even searching? Were her parents like Pell’s?
Hearing that Pell had been abandoned by his parents… that—that left an imprint on her mind. Pell was nice—but he was bitter. She could tell that… he held a lot of pain inside. Would… that pain also become hers to bear in the future?
She shook the thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to dwell on them. Soon, she would be going with the siblings to sign up for a fun tournament and explore the city. Painful thoughts could wait for later.
Enya opened her status screen. She had taken a brief peek at it right after the bandit fight, but she hadn’t had the chance to really examine it in detail since they had to run. And in the days following, it had slipped her mind entirely.
The status screen was primarily used to show her stats or mission progress. When she wasn’t actively doing anything related to her skills, there was no need to check it. The monotonous days of walking had dulled her excitement for the system, making her forget about it entirely.
Her notifications came flooding in.
System Notification: You have landed a killing blow on Human (Level 16).
You have received 340 EXP (-32%).
Your level has increased from level 9 to level 11.
You have gained 1 skill point.
Experience Remaining Until Next Level: 202/366
New Skill Notification: Perception [C-] has ranked up to Perception [C]
Enya’s eyes widened as she processed the notifications. She had received 340 EXP from a level 16 human? That was impressive, especially considering that the rattle rat had given her roughly 270. But the human archer she killed was five levels higher, yet it only provided about 70 more EXP? Surely, it should have given her more?
There was a line indicating that she had received a -32% penalty to her total EXP. Why had she received a penalty? What was so different about killing the demon rat compared to the bandit? She tried to focus on it and bring up more information, but nothing came up.
Despite the oddities in her experience points, she had leveled up twice and even gained an additional skill point, bringing her total to two. However, she still didn’t have a good enough spell or skill to spend it on. She decided it would be best to save them for her class quests, until she received a good skill.
The last pie on the cake, was that her perception skill also went up one rank. This notification came after she retracted her senses after attacking the bandits. She had heard the mental ping then, but Pell’s antagonized gaze on her, from her scaring his arm off, made her forget all about it.
Next, she opened up her status screen, showing the expanded version, skill list and all.
Name: Enya Empyria
Health: 100/100
Mana: 30/30
Soul-Energy: 61.7
Level: 11/1
EXP: 106/244
Class: Necrosmith
Innate Class: Visionary
Skills: Bonecarver’s Quill [E+], Transfiguration of Soul, The Grim Pullet, Absolute Focus, Visions Past, Recast, Mana Detection [D+], Mana Control [D+], Perception [C], Sage’s Insight [B]
Spells: Summon Skeleton [D-], Bone Spear, Bone Shift [F-]
Titles: High-Noble, Realm Hopper, Apprentice of Terran, Limited Holder
Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Her level had always been a fractional number, and this time, it was 11/1. She had meant to ask Pell what this meant… but now, pulling up her expanded status, she made a strange connection. Technically… she had two levels, right?
She tapped on her level value, willing the status screen to focus on it.
Level: 11/1
EXP: 106/244
Class: Necrosmith [Lv. 11]
Innate Class: Visionary [Lv. 1]
Her necrosmith class was level 11, but her innate visionary class, was still level 1. That… made sense.
It was strange to think that her status screen had populated so much since the first time she used it when she met Pell. Back then, she had only a few passive skills and titles. Now, she had acquired a unique class, obtained her innate one, and managed to escape the dungeon alive—all thanks to Pell.
Well, that last part was mostly because of her. But it wasn’t a lie to say that Pell had motivated her to try her hardest and escape. In the end, everything had worked out, and she saved both him and Mr. Bones.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]
“Hey! You guys are finally here!” yelled Berry, her hands furiously waving in the air as she jumped to signal their attention.
Enya and Pell stepped out from a nearby small alley that cut through the bustling streets and spotted the siblings. It was nearly impossible not to see Berry with her exuberant antics.
Berry ran forward, attempting to scoop Enya up in a hug, but before she could reach her, Enya ducked behind Pell, hiding beneath his cloak.
“Awww, don’t be like that, Enny! I just want to hug you!”
“Enny?” Pell asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Cute, right?” Berry replied, beaming with satisfaction.
Manny walked up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Can you not be so… flamboyant in public?”
“Dunno what that means,” Berry said, winking and giving a thumbs up to her brother.
Pell sighed. His hollow bones felt too old to deal with teenagers.
The four of them had gathered at the city fountain, a magnificent structure spanning roughly 100 meters wide. From their vantage point, they could spot the elegant Lightway Academy, a massive building adorned with spires and multiple floors. Like the rest of the city, it was constructed from beautiful white stone, its architecture reminiscent of ancient castles. In the distance, a large crowd buzzed around the front of the academy, looking like tiny specks packed tightly in front of the signup area.
Pell shuffled to the side, momentarily revealing Enya beneath his cloak. “Alright, brat. I gotta get going to the adventurer’s guild. You go have fun or whatever,” he said.
“Okay!” Enya replied, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Seizing the opportunity, Berry lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Enya and lifting her off the ground. She rubbed her cheek against Enya’s. “Aaah! I wish you were my little sister!” Berry exclaimed, nuzzling against her.
Enya groaned again, overwhelmed by the unusual affection from the surprisingly strong girl.
Pell started to walk away, giving a slight wave to the siblings. “Just don’t let her drink alcohol. But if she wants to, give in; otherwise, she might scream and land you in jail,” Pell warned.
Berry, too caught up in swinging Enya around like a stuffed doll, didn’t hear the warning. Manny, on the other hand, stared at the skeleton, confused by his words.
Jail? She would scream and put us in jail? Manny thought, bewildered.